More odds than ends

Last books I read all the way through: Everybody Poops, The Potty Book for Boys, The Sesame Street Potty Book...see a pattern? Oh, and The Dinosaur in My Backyard.

Other recent reads: I do recommend picking up Finn by John Clinch. A pretty curious piece of speculative fiction that gets into who Pa Finn might have been and what could have led him to be such an awful person. While it seems like a bit of a gimmick to use the frame of an American classic as a hook to sell your pitch to a publisher, it really was a nicely written story. Also, shows the Widow Douglas as a bit of a schemer. And you meet Huck's mom too.

The other book I've been reading is Bruce Fieler's Abraham. He's the Walking the Bible guy. Interesting look at the origins of the way Abraham is interpreted, past and present, by Judaism, Christianity and Islam. If you've read it, I'd be curious to hear your comments.

Found the location of one more furniture store to check out. Amanda and I have what we need but would like to start finding some things we can take with us when we finish langauge school. Lots of particle board stuff is available here and lots of buggy wood but not too much high quality hardwood. I hear tell that some nearby cities are known for their furniture or that we can have what we want made. Maybe later, once we have a bit more control of the language, I'll try.

Charlotte, @'s spider friend, is not poisonous. She's a pretty laid back bannana spider. If I'd known her species, I would have named her Chaquita.

Mini buses stop running here around dusk. And I thought our 8:30 shutoff time in Africa was bad. No taxies in this town, either. The horse carts and pedal power are available whenever needed.

Our hotwater heater is fuelled by a little propane gas tank. Apparently it only kicks on if there's a certain amount of water pressure. For Amanda, there was enough pressure to shower last night but not enough to kick on the heater.

Eating the breeze is not an idiom that is used here. What else has Lonely Planet been lying to me about?

Chocolate bread is my stress food. I haven't had to rely on Toblerones too much yet.

I tried Pepsi Blue. It tastes the same as regular Pepsi only it comes in this CSI-Miami color. It, or the Apple Fanta, changed the color of my poop. I have not tried the Pepsi Gold yet.

I communicate with text messenger over my cell phone more than any other way. I'm not good at it but it's cheaper than using voice.

Language class is much more fun when you get the teacher into a laughing fit.

Life is hard but good. I don't remember being this exhausted in Africa with the exception of my first week or so in Turkana. But that was because it was 120 degrees out and my only fan had blades that were four inches across and was battery opperated. And there we could nap in the middle of the afternoon.

Index cards do not exist in this city.

Neither does a good Italian restaurant. Scratch good, it should read "Neither does an Italian restaurant."

Practice is important for language learning but so is down time. I need time to process.

I think I need a Kevin Moon party. Maybe we should all meet in Darwin or Bali or even Chaing Mai?

Only 6 years, 8 months and five days until we climb Kilimanjaro. Ideally I'd like to reach the peak on my birthday at the exact moment I first saw the world. Who's with me? Pete? Ben? Dad? Jake? Phil Stowers?